~ Pergamon Omega, Int. J. Mgmt Sci. Vol. 23, No. 6, pp. 587-605, 1995 Copyright© 1995Elsevier ScienceLtd 0305-0483(95)00035-6 Printed in Great Britain.All rights reserved 0305-0483/95 $9.50 + 0.00 The Effects of Self-efficacy on Computer Usage M IGBARIA Claremont Graduate School, Claremont, Calif., USA J IIVARI University of Jyvaskyla, Jyvaskyla, Finland (Received January 1995," accepted after revision June 1995) This paper examines the effect of self-efficacy, belief in one's capabilities of using a computer in the accomplishment of specific tasks, on computer usage. It introduces an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) that explicitly incorporates self-efficacy and its determinants (experience and organizational support) as factors affectingcomputer anxiety, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and the use of computer technology. A survey of 450 microcomputer users in Finland found strong support for the conceptual model. In accordance with TAM, perceived usefulness had a strong direct effect 6n usage, while perceived ease of use had indirect effect on usage through perceived usefulness. Self-efficacyhad both direct and indirect effects on usage, demonstrating its importance in the decision to use computer technology. It also had a strong direct effect on perceivedease of use, hut only an indirect effect on perceived usefulness through perceived ease of use. Computer experience was found to have a strong positive direct effect on self-efficacy, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and usage. Organizational support and computer anxiety had only indirect effects on usage, mainly through perceived usefulness. Implications of these findings are discussed for researchers and practitioners. Key words--self-efficacy, acceptance, usage, Finland, globalization, cultural differences. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) with its capacity to process, store and transmit infor- mation has a significant potential impact on organizational effectiveness and productivity [13, 17, 31, 32, 64, 87]. Despite the realization that IT is key to the success and survival of companies in a highly competitive environment, the potential benefits of computers as aids to managerial decision making may not be fully realized due to poor acceptance by users [88]. Individuals are sometimes unwilling to accept and use available systems and express less than enthusiastic response to new technology intro- duced by companies, even if the system may increase their productivity [1 l, 102]. A Fortune article states that "Many workers are suspicious of new technology, even hostile to it" [32] (p. 44). The acceptance and use of computers by individuals appear to be limited due to fear of computers, confidence and ability, resistance to new technology, perceived difficulty of use, not understanding the importance of technology, and lack of motivation to adopt a new technology [20, 45, 91]. Greater attention needs to be paid to the factors that cause individual resistance to computer usage. IS research has attempted to identify numer- ous factors affecting computer usage [20, 29, 30, 51, 63, 104]. An individual's per- ceived ability to adopt computer technology successfully has been shown to be a major factor affecting his or her willingness to accept new technology [23,45, 59]. Among the various theoretical models developed to examine individ- 587